DE-A-23 39 768 discloses a radiant heating element for cooking purposes, in which the helical heating resistors are fixed to the surface of an insulating material formed from a molded or compressed silicic acid-aerogel by means of U-shaped clips, which are driven into the support material. The clips are attached or mounted by means of pneumatically operated clip fitting devices, which are manually guided and operated. This is not only very time-consuming, but also requires qualified operators, who must operate with considerable care, because otherwise damage can occur to the support layer or the clips may not be driven in cleanly, so that there would be possibilities of short-circuits during the operation of the heating element.